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A good man goes to war
On the Demon's Run base, Amy calms her infant daughter, Melody Pond, as Cleric guards and Madame Kovarian look on. Amy tells Melody of her father. Though he looks young, he has lived for hundreds of years and he is coming for them, so their captors had better beware as not even an army would stop him. Kovarian takes Melody from Amy and puts her in a cot to be taken away. Amy gives Melody a kiss and continues talking about her father; though he has a name, the people of Earth know him better by a different title: the Last Centurion. Twenty thousand light years away, on the flagship of the Twelfth Cyber Legion, Cybermen detect an intruder working his way to their command center, wreaking havoc with a sonic screwdriver. They try sealing him off, but every attempt fails. They prepare to confront him, weapons raised as the door opens to reveal Rory. Fearless, Rory tells the Cybermen that he has a message from the Doctor and a question from himself: "Where is my wife?" The Cybermen don't answer, prompting Rory to explain that they hear everything in the quadrant; he will leave in peace if they tell him what he wants to know. The Cyber-Leader demands the Doctor's message and gets it: the rest of the ships explode outside the window. Message delivered, "Would you like me to reapeat the question?" The Cyber-Leader doesn't say anything else. On Demon's Run, the Clerics have been on Yellow Alert over three weeks. The Fat One and the Thin One discuss the Doctor and how he scolded the Atraxi after scaring them off a planet. The Thin One reminds the Fat One that they're being paid to fight the Doctor. Praising costs more. A Cleric named Lorna overhears them, smiles, and continues to sew on her break. This is seen by two guards in the control room, who are practising telling psychic paper from actual identification. The Thin One and the Fat One talk about the Headless Monks they are sharing the base with, pondering if they are truly headless. Lorna overhears them and explains. They believe "the domain of faith is the heart and the domain of doubt is the head" -- hence "headless." The Fat One leaves with the monks to complete a conversion tutorial. The Thin One deduces that Lorna has met the Doctor; he is right. Lorna met him when she was a little girl in the Gamma Forest, something that made her join the Clerics, despite her planet being "heaven neutral", as the Doctor's time there was the only exciting thing that happened. When asked what he's like, Lorna mentions the Doctor said "Run" a lot. Elesewhere, the Fat One is taken to the Headless Monks' headquarters and told he has been selected for conversion to their faith and must make a donation. The Monks advance on him with an empty box. In the meantime, The Thin One asks Lorna why she thinks the Doctor isn't at Demons Run yet. She guesses it's because he can be anywhere in time and space. Melody Pond In Victorian London, a woman returns home and informs her carriage driver she won't be needing him again that night. She enters and greets her maid Jenny, telling her to send a telegram to Scotland Yard informing them Jack the Ripper is dead. When asked how she found him, the woman reveals herself to be a Silurian named Vastra, saying, "Stringy, but tasty". Jenny then takes her to the drawing room, where the TARDIS has materialised. Vastra knows the time has come to repay an old debt to the Doctor and tells Jenny to pack. In the 41st century Battle of Zaruthstra, Commander Harcourt heads to a medical tent to inform Madame President Eleanor that they must leave a child behind as the enemy is closing in and the nurse has yet to arrive. Just then a Sontaran named Strax enters and does a medical scan on the boy, telling him that he will soon be well. Upon leaving with his work done, Strax is questioned by Harcourt about why a Sontaran is serving as a nurse; it's a penance to restore the glory of Strax's lost clone batch. Upon seeing the TARDIS arrive, Strax sees his penance is over, telling Harcourt to get some rest. In the Stormcage Containment Facility, a tipsy River Song returns from one of her "outings" with the Doctor and sets off the alarm. Calling the guards to tell them that she is returning to her cell, River notices someone in Roman garb in the shadows; it's Rory. After confirming she knows who he is, River quickly looks in her diary to know why he's there: Demons Run. Rory explains the situation, asking River to come help with the others the Doctor is recruiting. River exlains that the Battle of Demons Run is when the Doctor will finally know who she is and that she cannot be there until the very end. It is also the day the Doctor rises higher than before, but falls lower than that. Elsewhere, at the Maldovarium, Dorium Maldovar is closing down his bar in a hurry, out of fear of something. He is caught by Colonel Manton and Madame Kovarian, who ask him what he knows; a month they been on Yellow Alert and the Doctor hasn't done anything. Dorium explains that there are numerous people throughout time and space that owe the Doctor a debt for helping them; he's gathering an army. Dorium explains the stories about the Doctor are true and not myths. Seeing they are getting nowhere, Kovarian and Manton leave. Dorium prepares to follow suit, but finds the TARDIS has landed in the backroom of his bar. Cornel Manton Speaks to the assembled Clerics and Monks about the Doctor. They are told not believe any of the stories they've heard about him; the Doctor is neither a goblin, trickster, god, nor devil, but a living, breathing man. He then tells the Clerics that they are going to fix that. Amy watches from above, in her cell. Lorna enters, apologising and offering a prayer leaf with Melody's name sewn on it in the language of her people. Amy becomes annoyed with Lorna, asking for her gun if she keeps talking. Her focus then goes back to how the Clerics react to the Doctor. Lorna explains that he's seen as a "dark legend", earning a scoff from Amy, who asks if she's met him. To her surprise, Amy learns Lorna met the Doctor as little girl as well. Seeing that Lorna is genuinely being compassionate towards her, Amy accepts the gift, but warns Lorna that the Doctor is coming and that she needs to be on the right side. Lorna hurries to the speech, arriving as Manton says he has received divine permission to lower the hoods of the Headless Monks. He reveals knots of skin in place of a neck and head, making the Thin One horrified about what happened to the Fat One. However, as Manton explains what the lack of heads gives the monks, the third one lowers his own hood to reveal himself to be the Doctor. Everyone is shocked while Amy and Lorna smile. The Doctor invites the Clerics to point their weapons at him if it helps them relax. In the control room above the hangar, Vastra and Jenny hold two technicians at sword point, much to their horror. Vastra encourages them to resist being held hostage as she's hungry for "ape". Jenny then politely asks them which button controls the lights. In the hangar, Colonel Manton tells the Doctor that he will be taken into custody. However, the Doctor mumbles, "3 minutes 40 seconds", before yelling for Amy to get her coat. The lights go out as he puts his hood back up. When the light come back on, the Doctor has disappeared from the stage. His voice echoes through the room, informing them that he is amongst the monks. The Clerics begin panicking and wondering which of the monks is the Doctor. One of the Clerics shoots a Monk, who turns out to be headless. This causes the monks to begin killing the Clerics and vise versa. Lorna spots a monk using a sonic screwdriver on a door across the hangar and follows it out. Mamdame Kovarian also leaves with two Clerics. In the control room, Vastra comments on the Doctor's brilliance, accidently insulting Jenny. Apologising, she quickly knocks out one of the Clerics they're holding hostage with her tongue to prevent him from tripping a lockdown button. Back in the hangar, Manton regains control, ordering the Clerics not to fire. He removes his weapon pack and drops his gun as a show of good faith, urging the Clerics to do the same. However, as soon as they're all disarmed, an army of Silurians and Judoon materialise. Commander Strax holds Manton at gunpoint, claiming the base. Manton says his fleet will come to help if Demon's Run goes down. However, the Doctor announces from the speakers that their communications relay can't work if it's taken out, explaining that they've got incoming. Danny Boy radios the Doctor and is order to "give 'em hell". Outside the base, a group of Dalek-upgraded Spitfires attack and disable their communications. Upon hearing that they've succeeded, Manton is at a loss for words. Elsewhere, Kovarian gets to her ship with Melody in a portable cot. She orders her aides back to the hangar, saying the Doctor must think he is winning "until the trap closes." Unbeknownst to them, Lorna is listening. She runs off. Rory appears and confronts Kovarian. She taunts him, asking how he will take her ship. Henry Avery and his son Toby exit the ship with a captured crewman, declaring, "the ship is ours milady". Kovarian and Manton are brought to the Doctor, who has joined Vastra and Jenny in the control room. He then laughs, saying it took him "3 minutes 42 seconds" to take the base. Strax tells Manton to order his troops to retreat, but the Doctor decides to punish Manton by having him be famous for instead saying, "Run away". Explaining why, the Doctor says it's a warning for those who try to get to him through the people he loves. Manton refuses until Kovarian tells him to do so. In her cell, Amy hears someone trying to get in and realises it's Rory, who asks her to wait as he unlocks the door with the sonic and he enters with the baby in his arms. They reunite tearfully as the Doctor enters, trying to excuse himself as it's an emotional moment. However, Rory orders him in. The Doctor talks to Melody, claiming that he can speak baby. Madame Vastra enters, telling the Doctor the Clerics are leaving without any bloodshed. When she gloats that the Doctor has never risen higher, Rory remembers River's warning. The group, minus Dorium and Vastra, gather in the hangar, preparing to leave the base, but the Doctor does not want to leave until he figures out why the base was used in the first place. There is a debate as to why Melody is crying. The Doctor emerges from the TARDIS with a cot, saying the baby is sleepy. Rory and Amy try to come to terms with what has happened and why Amy was kidnapped; the Doctor knew, but didn't tell Rory in case they were listening in on them. Vastra calls the Doctor to the control room. Before he leaves, Amy implores him to tell them something about their baby. The Doctor says the cot he's letting Melody use was once his. In the control room, Dorium hacks into Kovarian's files and finds scans of Melody's DNA, which contain traces of Time Lord DNA. Vastra wonders where Melody was conceived, knowing that Time Lords became what they were through exposure to the time vortex and the Untempered Schism. The Doctor remembers that the first time Amy and Rory were together on the TARDIS in this version of reality was on their wedding night. Vastra deduces that Kovarian wants a part-Time Lord to turn her a weapon. Dorium fears that victory came too easily and something is wrong; Vastra agrees. The two hurry back to the hangar. The Doctor, scowling, stays, remembering the little girl from 1969 America and the super-human strength with which she escaped from the astronaut suit. Kovarian appears on a view screen in the control room. When he asks what the baby is for, Kovarian says Melody is hope in their war against the Doctor. In the hangar, Lorna is captured by Strax, who found her eavesdropping. She warns them of Kovarian's trap, but they refuse to believe her, given her uniform; she only joined the Clerics to meet the Doctor, a "great warrior." When Amy tells her the Doctor is not a warrior, Lorna confusedly asks why he is called "the Doctor." The lights in the hangar switch off and Strax scans the area, confirming there are no life forms on the base apart from them and the Silurians. Lorna tells him the monks aren't alive, so they don't register. Elsewhere, the monks kill the Silurians. As Vastra and Dorium join the others, a force field surrounds the TARDIS and the hangar doors lock. Dorium identifies the Monks' chant as their attack prayer and steps forward, hoping to negotiate with them, but is beheaded. His body joins the Monks as they advance on the group. Rory ushers Amy and Melody to safety before joining the others as the real battle begins. In the control room, the Doctor angrily tells Kovarian that a child is not a weapon and he will never let her near Melody again after she lost her in the battle. Kovarian gleefully informs him that fooling him once was a joy, but fooling him twice in the same way is a privilege. Realising that Kovarian has made a Ganger of Melody, the Doctor rushes off to warn Amy. During the fight, River narrates "Demons run when a good man goes to war. Night will fall and drown the sun when a good man goes to war. Friendship dies, and true love lies, night will fall and th dark will rise, when a good man goes to war. Demons run, but count the cost. The battle's won, but the child is lost." Rory, Vastra, Jenny, Strax and Lorna battle the Headless Monks while Amy waits, holding a crying baby. As the monks are slain, they manage to give blows to Strax and Lorna that leaves them on the verge of death. As the fighting continues, Melody, looking over her mother's shoulder, sees a slot open in mid-air through which Kovarian whispers, "Wakey wakey". Melody dissolves into Flesh and Amy screams for Rory, as the Doctor reaches the door. The Doctor arrives at the battle as it ends. A sullen Rory informs him they know Melody was Flesh. The Headless Monks have been defeated, but Lorna and Strax are fatally wounded. Rory goes to help Strax, who dies happy as it was in battle. The Doctor tries to comfort Amy, but she backs away from him. Vastra brings the Doctor to Lorna. She says they met once and she fears he does not remember her; the Doctor quells her fears, saying he remembers everyone and that he knows they ran together. She soon dies. As the Doctor considers giving up, River Song appears. He angrily confronts her, demanding to know why she did not come when he asked as he's always been there for her. River replies that she could not have prevented the battle. The Doctor tells her that he didn't want this, but River says it's exactly like the Doctor; his legendary adventures have made others frightened of him. She asks him if this is how he pictured things turning out when he first took off to see the universe, explaining that the word "Doctor" comes from him. However, the Gamma Forest translates "Doctor" as "Mighty Warrior", reflecting how he defeats foes and the reason Lorna sought him out. The Doctor, tired of her riddles, demands to know who she is. She runs to his cot, but is told by the Doctor tell him. She then directs his attention to the cot, asking him if he can read what's down there. Once he does, his expression changes from anger to joy. He asks River several incomplete questions, all of which are answered, "Yes", even about their relationship. He bids Vastra and Jenny goodbye, orders River to get them all home safely, and takes off in the TARDIS despite Amy's protests. Amy points a gun at River and asks what she told the Doctor. River calmly hands Amy the prayer leaf Lorna sewed for her, which lies in the cot. It is Melody's name in the language of the people of the Gamma Forest. They don't have a word for "Pond," since the only water in the forest is the river. Amy and Rory watch as the TARDIS translator changes the stitching on the prayer leaf to words they can read: River Song. Overwhelemed with emotion, River confirms she is their daughter. They can only look on in shock. Cast *The Doctor – Matt Smith *Amy Pond – Karen Gillan *Rory Williams – Arthur Darvill *River Song/Melody Pond – Alex Kingston *Baby Melody Pond – Harrison/Madison Mortimer *Madame Kovarian – Frances Barber *Dorium – Simon Fisher Becker *Henry Avery – Hugh Bonneville *Toby Avery – Oscar Lloyd *Colonel Manton – Danny Sapani *Madame Vastra – Neve McIntosh *Jenny – Catrin Stewart *Strax – Dan Starkey *Lorna Bucket – Christina Chong *Thin One – Dan Johnston *Fat One – Charlie Baker *Lucas – Joshua Hayes *Dominicus – Damian Kell *Captain Harcourt – Richard Trinder *Eleanor – Annabel Cleare *Arthur – Henry Wood *Voice of the Cybermen – Nicholas Briggs